To mark National Dog Day, some facts about Boston’s canines

Of the many characteristics shared by man and mongrel — a predilection for lying on the couch, an aversion to leafy greens and doctors — the one that most unites us may be the joy of going for a drive. More than half of the 54 million American dog owners consider buying a vehicle based on its ability to accommodate man’s best friend, according to Autotrader. “The cars on our list provide key features for pet owners, such as fold-flat rear seats, rear lift gate, low ride height, airy cabin and under-floor storage,” Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader, said in a statement. Maple Grove’s 3 Squares Restaurant is holding a huge patio bash, where dogs can enjoy house-made dog treats and humans can take advantage of specials on food and drinks.

Twin Fish Photo will also have a backdrop and several props there to help create some hilarious pictures of you and your tail-waggin’ family members. The small wagonlike hatch opens up to a wide cargo area and low floor that can be made even taller by flipping up the rear Magic Seats, which give you almost 41/2 feet of vertical space behind the front seats. We’d recommend avoiding the standard second seats instead of the ones with the fancy footrests, which can’t be collapsed down and aren’t as versatile. Mercedes new compact crossover has “one of the lowest load floors of any compact SUV,” according to Doug DeMuro for Autotrader, and it has a power liftgate. Unfortunately, a 2013 study conducted by Subaru and the Center for Pet Safety found that most dog seat belts on the market had “catastrophic failure” during a crash, which means the dog test dummy either came loose from the restraint or was a projectile, according to Hannah Elliott in Forbes.com.

When passenger side air bags are disabled, front-riding dogs can suffer far greater injuries from impact with the windshield than if they were riding in back.